Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 136 King Zhong invites you to meet him

As Zhang Dai left Consort Wu Hui's palace, he increasingly felt that he was about to become a shameless villain.

His relationship with his aunt was becoming increasingly smooth and natural. What started as a cautious approach had now blossomed into enthusiastically helping Consort Wu Hui build her influence. At this rate, he might very well be the one to frame the three princes in the future.

But he remains upright at heart, having been actively working to promote disaster relief efforts during this period. Relief supplies have already been sent to the disaster area in batches, and the affected people in Henan and Hebei will soon receive tangible assistance from these supplies.

Since he is upright, yet he insists on going further and further down the wrong path, it can only mean that some key elements of this era are wrong, and it does not allow upright people to use upright methods to achieve an upright and good result!
He had just finished mentally preparing himself when he soon encountered a new personnel challenge.

"Please wait a moment, passerby! My master invites you to have a chat!"

He had just left the Tao Guang Garden in the inner palace through Anning Gate and was preparing to exit the palace via the Cangcheng Jiacheng Palace Road when suddenly a eunuch in a blue robe shouted loudly from the left side of the road.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai immediately became wary. He didn't know many people in the palace, and there were only a handful of people who could be addressed as "Master Lang" by the eunuchs in the palace. He wasn't familiar with any of them!

"My apologies. I am currently on urgent business as ordered by Consort Hui and have no time to spare. Please inform your master that I will await further instructions at another time!"

Instead of stopping, he walked faster and faster, and no longer went into the corner of the palace wall, but walked directly in the sight of the patrolling guards of the North Palace under the sunlight.

The eunuch in the green robe was also taken aback when he failed to stop the man. Then, a young man in a brocade robe strode out from behind him. Seeing that Zhang Dai had walked another dozen feet, the young man shouted, "Sixth Brother Zhang, Sixth Brother Zhang, please wait! I have no ill intentions! I have not had time to visit you in the past, but we have met on the road today. I have something to say to you, Sixth Brother. Please wait!"

Zhang Dai glanced at Yaoyi East Gate, which was not far away, and stopped after thinking for a moment. The person in charge hadn't shown up yet, so it was fine for him to run away, but now that they had caught up and announced their purpose, if he left without paying attention, it would only deepen the enmity.

He stood under the palace wall, waiting for the other party to stride up, before bowing and saying, "I was unaware of Your Majesty's summons. My heart was preoccupied with other matters, and I was unable to greet you properly. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Although the emperor's sons had long lived in the inner palace and had little contact with outsiders, they all made an appearance at the funeral of Prince Qi in the first half of the year. Zhang Dai had seen them from afar a few times and recognized that the one who called out to him was Prince Zhong.

When the Prince of Zhong arrived, he did not show any unusual behavior. He simply looked at Zhang Dai and said, "Zhang Liulang is a renowned figure in the capital. When we first met, I should have treated you with great hospitality. It was indeed impolite of me to stop you on the side of the road. However, I was afraid that a small matter the other day might have aroused suspicion, so I did not dare to invite you. I hope Zhang Liulang will understand."

"How dare I? Your Majesty, if you have any business, just send me to convey your message. I am but a humble commoner and dare not presume to be a renowned person. I will bow upon being summoned and await Your Majesty's instructions."

Zhang Dai never hesitated to back down when necessary. Regardless of whether the Prince Zhong would become a tough guy or a coward in the future, there was no need to kill the enmity now.

Upon hearing this, Prince Zhong was momentarily taken aback, probably not expecting Zhang Dai to be so humble. However, he quickly recovered and continued, "I have heard much about Zhang Liulang in the capital. How can he not be considered a celebrity? Zhang Yangong is a literary master in the country, and his sons are all renowned scholars. His grandson is also highly respected. Now, looking at Liulang, he has a dignified bearing and an extraordinary demeanor. No wonder he is so admired by the people of his time."

Zhang Dai didn't think that the Prince of Zhong had called him over just to praise him, but since the Prince wanted to praise him, he listened quietly.

After praising her a few times, the Prince of Zhong felt he had laid enough groundwork and then said, "Only when the Princess returned home in tears the other day did I learn of a misunderstanding between us. It's truly absurd. There are too many vulgar people in this world who are good at making a mountain out of a molehill and committing evil deeds!"
In this world, who is without entanglements? If we truly harbor hatred and resentment because of this, how many people in the world can face us with a smile? Sixth Brother is intelligent and handsome; surely he wouldn't hold such worldly thoughts and take his anger out on the innocent?

Hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded silently, as if nothing had happened. Seeing that his attitude was not clear enough, the Prince of Zhong raised his voice and said, "If we are to judge by the length of our relationship, the Wei family has only been close to me for a little over a year, but my relationship with the Yan family has been much longer. It is not appropriate for later generations to talk about the stories of the past, but you can ask the Yan family when you return, Liu Lang."

I am close in age to Liu Lang, and we are fellow young men who should get along even more amicably. The reason I summoned you here today is precisely to express this sentiment. I hope Liu Lang will not dislike me because I have long resided within the palace walls and remained unknown to the world.”

"How dare a commoner harbor such a wild thought! Your Majesty's humility and respect are most appreciated!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly bowed and said to himself, "As expected of you, now you're not kissing your brother-in-law, but me, Zhang Liulang."
"In that case, I might as well tell Liu Lang about my troubles. The princess has been confined to the palace for a long time and is an ignorant young woman. She would not tell the princess what her family outside the palace is plotting. It is indeed a bit unfair to question her on this basis. After returning home, I have been in tears all day long, which also makes me feel uneasy."

Prince Zhong then said, "Consort Hui is an elder in charge of palace affairs, and I dare not directly argue with her for fear of saying something inappropriate in the heat of the moment. Could you please convey my message to her, Sixth Prince, to lift the confinement order and allow her to diligently serve me and beg for forgiveness for her past mistake?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai understood that the Prince of Zhong had taken a grudge against him.

The more polite his words, the more he cared about the matter. Not only did the reprimand and confinement of the Princess Consort make him feel humiliated, but her gentle pleading and stopping him today was also a loss of face. And who made him lose face? Of course, it was him!

"I was truly unaware of the palace rules and prohibitions. But since I have received Your Majesty's instructions, I dare not refuse!"

While pondering the matter in his heart, Zhang Dai still spoke respectfully and politely: "I have just been ordered by Consort Hui to leave the palace to make arrangements. It is truly impolite of me to rush back and disturb you before the matter is settled. Your Majesty, could you please grant me a few days? Once the matter is completed, I will certainly report this matter to Consort Hui!"

"Of course, of course, I am very pleased to receive such a reply from Zhang Liulang."

Upon hearing this, Prince Zhong frowned slightly, then said, "In that case, I will not trouble Zhang Liulang any further. You may do as you please. When I have time later, I will host a banquet at Shangyang Palace, and I will ask your uncle, Scholar Zhang, to invite Liulang to join us." After saying this, Prince Zhong waved and left, while Zhang Dai stood at a distance, bowing in farewell. Only after Prince Zhong had gone far away did he sigh and head towards the palace gate.

He wasn't worried about making an enemy of Prince Zhong. That guy was just so-so, lacking in personal charisma and courage. He had the same shrewdness as Prince Zhong, but not his talent. Even if he became the crown prince or the emperor in the future, he wouldn't inspire any enthusiasm.

His sigh stemmed from the realization that he seemed to be increasingly adopting Li Linfu's original niche. Although he was still far from Li Linfu's official position and power at his peak, his interpersonal relationships and stance were becoming more and more similar.

Could it be that he stole Li Linfu's luck before, and now he's going to steal Li Linfu's life too?

This feeling was really bad, so Zhang Dai decided to quickly do something that Li Linfu hadn't dared to do in order to calm himself down.

Gao Chengxin's home was also located in Daoguangfang in the north of the city, and Zhang Dai went there to visit him after leaving the palace.

"It is an honor and a great joy for me that you, Liu Lang, have graced my humble abode with your presence!"

Gao Chengxin, dressed in casual home clothes, had been waiting inside the door. When he saw Zhang Dai riding in, he strode out and greeted him with a cupped hand and a smile from afar.

Zhang Dai quickly dismounted and approached Gao Chengxin, bowing and saying, "Unwelcome guest, causing Sixteenth Brother to neglect your duties and wait."

"I'm not on duty today, and with Liu Lang not coming, I don't know where I'll pass the time!"

Gao Chengxin smiled and invited Zhang Dai into the house. After passing the screen wall inside the gate, there was a tall, young and beautiful woman standing in the front courtyard corridor, with two maids behind her.

"This is my wife."

Gao Chengxin raised his hand to introduce her, and Zhang Dai quickly put on a solemn expression, bowed to the woman and said, "I am an idle person who lives a carefree life. Today I have shamelessly come to your door to ask for food and drink. How dare I expect you to wait for me in the front courtyard, my sister-in-law!"

The woman also curtsied and said, “My husband holds a palace post and is cautious at home. He is often out dealing with matters and rarely has time to entertain guests. Now that Young Master Zhang has come to visit, my husband is delighted to have prepared a feast and has been waiting at the door for a long time. His friendship with me is very deep. I should also thank you for your humble friendship, so that this hall can retain your virtuous reputation.”

The couple's enthusiasm made Zhang Dai feel a little embarrassed. He had only planned to stop by to ask about some things and hadn't even prepared any special gifts, so he felt somewhat awkward.

Gao Chengxin didn't care about this. He took Zhang Dai's hand and walked towards the main hall of his house. His wife followed behind and quietly instructed the servants to quickly serve wine and food.

Gao Chengxin's residence was of a considerable size, but the furnishings were simple. Even the main hall for receiving guests was in a simple and practical style, yet it was very clean. The newly laid dragon-beard mats under the seating tables even had unrolled creases, indicating that the family did not often entertain guests.

After the guests and hosts were seated, Gao Chengxin's wife took her leave. Zhang Dai pondered for a moment, then waved to Ding Qing and whispered some instructions to him. Only after Ding Qing hurriedly left did Zhang Dai resume his conversation with Gao Chengxin.

"I owe a great debt to Liu Lang for his help with the recent money-making scheme. It prevented that villain Wang Shouzhen from causing trouble and spared me from punishment. I have not yet had a chance to thank Liu Lang properly. So, I'll offer you this small cup of wine as a token of my gratitude."

After the wine was served, Gao Chengxin first filled a cup and raised it to Zhang Dai.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Dai did not refuse. He raised his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp. Then he mentioned that his aunt was willing to give Gao Lishi 10% of the profits, but Gao Lishi had to go to Consort Hui's place to personally negotiate the deal.

If this matter were handled directly, Zhang Dai could personally inform Gao Lishi. However, it's clear that Consort Wu Hui wants Gao Lishi to do her bidding, so it's inappropriate for Zhang Dai to do it himself. Instead, his adopted son Gao Chengxin should relay the message.

"Liu Lang truly keeps his word! He really has helped me a great deal!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Chengxin's face lit up with joy, and he stood up to bow and thank Zhang Dai.

The profits from flying money are astonishing; even a mere 10% is quite considerable. Although Zhang Dai had said this a few days ago, he didn't dare to have too much hope, but unexpectedly, such great progress has already been made.

The interests of the flying money are related to the compensation for the losses of the eunuchs after the land requisition in Henan Prefecture. If he does this well, he will surely gain the favor of many eunuchs. Although Gao Lishi still has to step in to finalize the matter in the end, it is already very commendable that he has made it this far.

Zhang Dai wasn't very clear about the personnel relationships among the eunuchs, but seeing Gao Chengxin so agitated about this matter, he couldn't help but feel surprised and curious, so he couldn't help but ask, "As far as I know, Sixteenth Brother has more than one way to make money, why do you value this so much?"

(End of this chapter)